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Freestanding membranes of hafnium zirconium oxide can be created using pulsed laser deposition method and used as the top-gate dielectric in molybdenum disulfide transistors.

Bringing together p- and n-type monolayers of semiconducting transition metal dichalcogenides results in the formation of atomically thin pn junctions. Here, the authors laterally manipulate carrier density to create a WSe₂ pn homojunction on a supporting ferroelectric BiFeO₃ substrate.

Rhombohedral-stacked molybdenum disulfide with sliding ferroelectric behaviour can be used to create atomically thin ferroelectric transistors for computing-in-memory device applications.

FADD binds Casp-8 and then cFLIP to form the FADD-Casp8-cFLIP complex. The authors found that the DED complex could assemble in reverse order, where cFLIP oligomerizes to bind Casp-8. The resultant complex could bind FADD, generating the cFLIP-Casp-8-FADD complex by a different mechanism.

Here the authors structurally and mechanistically characterize the assembly of FADD, procaspase-8, and cFLIP through their death-effector domains (DEDs), providing insights into the regulation of apoptotic and necroptotic signalling.

Plexins are the receptors for the guidance molecules semaphorins and regulate immunity and the development of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Here authors present a structure of full-length human PlexinC1 in complex with its ligand A39R, which reveals how inter-domain interactions couple extracellular ligand binding to receptor activation and signaling.

Self-assembled nanocomposites present opportunities for a range of phase morphologies and desirable properties. Here authors present tuneable self-assembled nanostructures in the SnO2:NiO system; the double-percolated system expands the design of self-assembled oxides for practical applications, e.g. in optoelectronics.

Non-fullerene acceptors with large quadrupole moments strongly affect thin-film energetics. Here, the authors show a significant energetic shift (>200 meV) of Y6 upon changing its orientation from face-on to more edge-on using different solvents and its critical impact on organic photovoltaics.

Interim analysis from the randomized phase 3 JUPITER-02 trial shows that the addition of anti-PD-1 toripalimab to standard gemcitabine/cisplatin as a first-line treatment for patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma has manageable toxicity and improves progression-free survival, suggesting a potential new treatment standard in this setting.

It is challenging to construct lateral homostructures with controllable geometry and repeated alternating configurations. Here the authors develop a generic approach for fabricating twisted lateral homostructures with tunable crystal orientation, epitaxial constrain, and phase stability.

Gate-all-round field effect transistors (FETs) with channels fabricated from highly stacked nanowires can enhance the drive current of such devices for a fixed footprint. Chen, Liu, and colleagues fabricated FETs with as many as 16 highly stacked Ge_0.95Si_0.05 nanowires and 12 nanowires without parasitic channels using wet etching.

Analyses of whole-exome sequencing data identify rare loss-of-function variants in BSN associated with adult-onset obesity, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease, with stronger effect sizes than those observed for variants in known obesity risk genes such as MC4R.

Dong et al. demonstrate that targeting arginine N-methyltransferase 9 (PRMT9) inhibits cancer stem cells in the context of acute myeloid leukemia via type I interferon-associated immunity. Furthermore, they show that PRMT9 inhibition synergizes with anti-programmed cell death protein 1.

EY6A, a neutralizing antibody isolated from a patient convalescing from COVID-19, binds the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein with high affinity, at a location away from the binding site for the ACE2 receptor, similar to the one recognized by CR3022.

Redox flow batteries are a promising technique for large-scale electricity storage, but suffer from low energy density and volumetric capacity. Here, the authors present a lithium redox flow battery with a sulphur-impregnated carbon composite as the catholyte, which leads to substantial performance improvement.

The remote, non-volatile and reversible optical control of ferroic orders is challenging. Here, using laser illumination, multiple orders in epitaxial mixed-phase BiFeO₃ are manipulated deterministically using a thermally driven flexoelectric effect.

Ferroelectric reliability must be solved prior to practical non-volatile electronic devices based on magnetoelectric multiferroics. Here, Hsiehet al. report a long lasting ferroelectric retention in the heteroepitaxially constrained multiferroic mesocrystal.

It is challenging to design anti-freezing electrolytes for extremely low-temperature aqueous batteries. This study proposes a general guideline for designing anti-freezing electrolytes by choosing H₂O–solute systems with low eutectic temperature and strong super-cooling ability, and demonstrates aqueous Na-ion batteries that can operate at the ultralow temperature of −85 °C.

Stable and high-power operation of aqueous redox flow batteries (ARFBs) is desirable for grid storage in cold climate regions. Here the authors report a heteropoly acid electrolyte with an exceptionally low freezing point and high conductivity that enables high-performance ARFBs at low temperatures.

The levels of aerosols in the atmosphere affect cloud reflectivity and the Earth’s radiative balance. A comprehensive analysis of satellite observations shows that thermodynamics and precipitation govern cloud responses to aerosols.

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been investigated as a potential treatment for Covid-19 in several clinical trials. Here the authors report a meta-analysis of published and unpublished trials, and show that treatment with hydroxychloroquine for patients with Covid-19 was associated with increased mortality, and there was no benefit from chloroquine.

Researchers showcase a deep learning-designed diffractive terahertz sensor that rapidly detects hidden defects within 3D samples based on the output spectrum measured by a single-pixel detector, eliminating sample scanning or image formation/processing.

Wu et al. show that prosurvival BCL-2 proteins disrupt SUFU repression of GLI activity, leading to GLI target gene expression. BH3 mimetics disable GLI transcriptional activity driven by HH pathway mutations.

Hedgehog signalling gradients are required for proper wing formation inDrosophila, and Hedgehog is known to regulate the cubitus interruptus transcription factor. Here, the authors show that the COP9 signalosome has a critical role in translating a Hedgehog gradient into a cubitus interruptus gradient.

PD-L1 accumulates on cancer stem cells and favours immune evasion but the mechanism underlying this accumulation are unknown. Here the authors show that epithelial-mesenchymal transition induces glycosylation and stabilisation of PD-L1; antagonising this process renders cancer cells sensitive to anti-Tim3-therapy.

The authors have identified a subpopulation of astrocytes that is enriched in cortical layer V of the mouse cortex and is also present in the human cortex. These cells express Norrin, a protein mutated in a rare neurological degenerative disease called Norrie disease. Norrin acts on neurons to modify their morphology and activity.

Genome-wide siRNA screens identify an essential function for sorting nexin 5 in virus-induced autophagy and immunity mediated via class III phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase complex 1.

53BP1 is required for V(D)J recombination and for joining of DNA breaks in telomeres. In V(D)J recombination, the ends of the programmed double-strand break are degraded when 53BP1 is absent, and joining between distal V and DJ segments is affected. At broken telomeres, 53BP1 increases the mobility of the DNA ends in the nucleus so that they are more likely to encounter a partner to which they can be ligated. Thus, 53BP1 facilitates repair by changing the dynamics of movement of broken ends, making long-range interactions more frequent.